The Workforce Analysis and Planning Program (WAPP) supports industry and labour market partners in the development of market intelligence, domestic workforce strategies and implementation plans to better respond to the growing labour challenges in BC’s agriculture and food industry.

The WAPP is a three-year, up to $400,000 program under the Agriculture and Food Workforce Development Initiative (AWDI). AWDI is funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement. The initiative is a $15M fund designed to support BC’s agriculture industry to provide a stable and increasing food supply through targeted efforts to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce to meet the labour needs of the industry. AWDI is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF).

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Overview

Approach

Eligibility

Application

Resources

Overview

The program provides up to $100,000 in cost-shared funding to identify, develop, and support projects that enhance domestic agriculture and food workforce development and labour market strategies in BC. Eligible projects must have a domestic labour/workforce focus and cross-industry or broad-sector benefit with multiple ultimate beneficiaries.

Program Goal

WAPP aims to provide industry with financial support to develop and implement domestic labour market development strategies and workforce plans to better respond to the growing labour challenges in BC’s agriculture, seafood, and food processing sectors.

Program Objectives

  • Improved understanding of current agriculture labour market issues.
  • Improved understanding of issues and barriers that face the domestic agriculture labour market.
  • Promote the creation of strategic industry partnerships necessary to address labour market issues
  • Development of targeted strategies and implementation plans with clearly defined outcomes/metrics to address and assess labour market issues.

Approach

Applications will be accepted in a two-step application process, consisting of an Expression of Interest (EOI), with invitations to complete a full application.

Program Structure

Funding is available to industry through the following streams:

Funding Stream
Project Funding Limits
Cost-Shared Ratio
Stream 1: Labour Market Intelligence, Research and Analysis Maximum $100,000 70% up to $100K
Stream 2: Strategies and Planning Maximum $100,000 70% up to $100K

The total funding limit per applicant cannot exceed $100,000 for the lifetime of the program. Applicants are eligible to apply for funding to more than one stream, however, applicants cannot have concurrent active projects.

Please see the specific details on eligible costs and reimbursement in the sections to follow.

Stacking of funds from other government programs is allowed up to 100% of project costs provided the programs are not delivered by IAF.

What’s a cost-shared ratio?

The cost-sharing ratio represents the proportion of eligible Total Project Costs contributed by both the applicant and the funder. In this case, 30% of the eligible costs would be paid by the applicant with the remaining 70% paid by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (via IAF).

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Participants

To be considered eligible for this program, an applicant must be located in the province of British Columbia, and must be:

  • Agriculture, agri-food and seafood industry association or similar type organizations. Industry associations can apply on behalf of groups of individual producers.
  • Legal entities from the agriculture, agri-food and seafood sector that are not represented by an industry association, when applying on behalf of a group of individual producers / processors. Applicant must represent a majority of a sector.

Eligible Activities and Expenses

Eligible activities and costs include the activities that support the development and implementation of domestic labour market development strategies and workforce plans. Strategic partnerships are a requirement of this program.

Eligible activities and/or expenses may include but are not limited to:

  • Current labour market data collection, including literature review, and analysis to better understand labour markets within the agriculture and food sectors and to define labour issues facing those sectors.
  • Planning and strategy development to inform priorities, actions, and timelines for implementation of workforce development activities.
  • Working with industry and labour market partners to develop and action implementation plans based on existing labour market analysis, data, strategies, and plans.
  • Conducting additional research and analysis to inform strategies and implementation plans as required.
  • Developing BC, regional and/or industry specific strategies to support the implementation of the National Workforce Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Food and Beverage Manufacturing; align with federal priorities and leverage federal funding where available.
  • Consultation and industry engagement activities to drive industry leadership to implement workforce development plans (industry-led solutions).

Maximum Eligible Funding Limits

The total funding limit per applicant cannot exceed $100,000 for the lifetime of the program. Applicants are eligible to apply for funding to more than one stream under the WAPP, however, applicants cannot implement projects or receive funding under both streams at the same time.

Ineligible Participants, Activities, and Expenditures

The following participants, activities and expenses are not eligible to be funded under WAPP. This list is not exhaustive and is meant to be used as a guideline.

Ineligible Participants

  • Individual producers, processors or other businesses represented by an industry association.
  • Researchers and/or universities.
  • Non-agricultural or agri-food individuals or groups.
  • Equine producers or associations.
  • Aquaculture, and fish farms.
  • Beekeepers or beekeeping associations.

Ineligible Activities and Expenditures

  • Projects targeting recruitment or retention of temporary foreign workers.
  • In-kind expenses or costs.
  • Activities not directly related to agricultural and food workforce development / planning.
  • GST and other taxes/credits reimbursed to applicant.
  • Requests for funding that are not project-based, and which are dependent upon future funding. Individual projects must have defined start and finish dates, and not be part of an applicant’s day-to-day operations (i.e., employee wages).
  • Benefit to only one employer; Assistance to a single employer may only be provided in situations where 1) the applicant represents a majority of a sector; and 2) any resulting competitive advantage experienced by the employer is incidental to broader benefit gained by the labour market.
  • Duplicate and/or replace programs or services already provided in BC.
  • Duplicate projects, information, or research already available in BC.
  • Assist business/industry in research related to new products or product development.
  • Activities that address union-management collective bargaining issues.
  • Projects that run concurrently with existing projects in the program.

Applications

Important Dates

Applicants are required to complete a two-step application process. An Expression of Interest (EOI) can be submitted starting October 22, 2024, until November 19, 2024, at 4:00pm PST. EOI submissions will be accepted through the IAF Client Portal and reviewed on an on-going basis.

Eligible applicants will be notified with an Invitation to Apply and be invited to complete a full application.

All projects must receive IAF approval before starting activities or incurring any project costs. All projects must be completed no later than January 31, 2026.

Retroactive approval of costs incurred prior to project approval will not be considered.

  • October 22, 2024 – EOI Intake Open
  • November 19, 2024 at 4:00pm PST – EOI Intake Close
  • December 20, 2024 – Notification of ‘Invitation to Apply’
  • January 31, 2026 – Project completion deadline

Application Process

The purpose of the Expression of Interest (EOI) is to determine the eligibility of your organization for funding and the eligibility of the project concept.

Applicants may provide supplementary materials in support of their EOI submission (e.g. letters of support, CV’s, quotes). These documents can be uploaded through the IAF Client Portal as attachments.

IAF staff are available to answer questions regarding eligible activities, costs and/or the EOI process. Applicants can contact wapp@iafbc.ca with any questions about the program or to receive support in developing their EOI or to book an appointment.

Applicants are encouraged to include only activities they are confident will be completed on time and within budget limits.

EOIs are submitted through the IAF Client Portal. The process will generally consist of:

If you (and your organization) have applied for IAF-delivered funding since January 2023 you already have an account and are all set! Please ensure your contact details and organizational information is up to date.

If you don’t yet have an account, do not wait to start this process – it can take up to two business days to validate your organization!

Creating an account and registering your organization is simple:

  1. Create a personal profile (name and email)
  2. Provide organization information, such as:
    • Name
    • Contact details
    • Type of organization
    • BC ID / CRA numbers, or a file number provided and recognized by the provincial government for organizations where BC ID or CRA numbers are not applicable.
    • Primary contact (if this isn’t you)

Starting on October 22, 2024, navigate to Funding Opportunities on the grey side menu of the IAF Client Portal. Select the Workforce Analysis & Planning Program and provide the following information:

  • Project name.
  • Concise project summary outlining:
    • The labour need or issue.
    • Activities you intend to complete that address the labour need or issue.
    • Intended project outcomes/outputs.
    • Intended project benefits/impacts.
  • Start and end dates.
  • Total project costs (budget).
  • Identified potential project partners.

Following the EOI, successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application. The purpose of the full application is to solicit all information required for funding decisions. Applicants will be asked to provide additional detailed project information through the IAF Client Portal such as:

  • Project start & end dates.
  • Detailed project description, labour need/issue and project objectives.
  • Provide description of key activities / outcomes, who will undertake work and timeline.
  • Intended benefits / impact.
  • Partnerships and communications plan.
  • Funding request / detailed project budget.
Need help with IAF’s Client Portal?

We’ve created a number of tutorials and FAQs about the IAF Client Portal to help you navigate this resource successfully.

Review and Adjudication

IAF will review all EOIs for organization and project eligibility on an on-going basis leading up to the November 19, 2024, EOI deadline. Applications will be notified about the status of their EOI by December 20, 2024.

Only eligible applicants / projects will be invited to complete a full application.

If funding requested exceeds available funding, applications will be approved based on eligibility and alignment with program priorities, on a first-come-first-serve basis, subject to available funds.

All final funding decisions will be communicated to applicants via email within 30 days of complete application submission. All adjudication decisions are final.

EOIs and applications may be assessed and endorsed by a technical review / advisory committee and/or representatives of the Government of BC as required.

Have a Question?

If you have any questions about your Expression of Interest, program eligibility, required documents, or more, please reach out to IAF at wapp@iafbc.ca.

Notifications & Obligations

Funding Notifications & Contracts

If the project is approved, IAF will inform the applicant of the details of the decision and any associated terms and conditions via email. The applicant then enters into an agreement with IAF which outlines the obligations of each party.

Funding is application and project-specific and must be used for the approved project and related expenses. Funds are non-transferable.

Project activities requiring financial resources cannot commence until the contribution agreement has been signed by both the applicant and IAF. All project activities and expenditures must be approved prior to commencing – retroactive costs will not be considered.

Notice of an ‘Invitation to Apply’ or funding decision will be issued within by December 20, 2024. Projects may begin on or after a notice of approved project funding. All projects must complete by January 31, 2026.

If an Expression of Interest or application is not approved, the applicant will receive an email response from IAF.

Changes to Contracted Projects

If you are not able to complete your project according to the approved workplan, please inform the IAF Team as soon as possible using the IAF Client Portal.

Funding Acknowledgement

This program is funded by the Government of BC, therefore; acknowledgment of funding is required when publicly communicating about a project and/or funding. To ensure appropriate acknowledgments, all communications and marketing materials, including public announcements or social media posts, must be pre-approved by the IAF Communications Team. Materials can be submitted via the IAF Client Portal.

Reporting Requirements

Successful applicants must complete one or more activity and financial reports to receive payment from the program. These report(s) must be filled out and submitted to IAF to be considered for funding reimbursement. It is important that reports are submitted on time and with all the required information. Please retain all invoices and receipts, you may be asked to submit some or all receipts/invoices following a review of your report(s) by the IAF Team. Expenses will be reimbursed based on the approved project budget and/or audited receipts. All reporting will be completed via the IAF Client Portal.

Ready to Apply?

Applicants have been notified about the status of their EOI. Please visit the IAF Client Portal for details, and to complete a full application.

Resources

FAQ

Retroactive costs will not be considered. All projects must receive IAF approval before starting activities or incurring any project costs.

All projects must complete by January 31, 2026.

Please provide the status of the permit and any supporting documentation at the time of application.

All recipients are required to comply with all necessary laws and regulations.

IAF provides payments by EFT (direct deposit). To get your EFT information set up to ensure timely delivery of your payment(s), please follow the directions provided here to update your client portal.

Successful applicants must complete one or more activity and financial reports to receive payment from the program. Payment schedules will be provided in the Contribution Agreement executed with the project proponent.

No, GST is not eligible for reimbursement.

Have a Question?

Contact the IAF Team

Workforce Analysis and Planning, Program

Download the WAPP Program Guide.

Funding Acknowledgement Requirements

Download the Funding Acknowledgement Requirements for WAPP.

Have a Current Project?

Please visit the program’s Project Resource Hub for more information.

This program is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

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Please note: the Government may, from time to time, give instructions to IAF in relation to the delivery and administration of this program. IAF must and will comply with those instructions.